CNMI’s first ever Marianas sling tournament in Tinian

 

Keith Nabors, who organized the competition, said the event’s 21 competitors from Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam competed in three categories: men’s open, women’s, and under 16 and a total of 16 competitors walked away with prizes, and non-competitors were treated to sling stone lessons and free slings from Nabors.

The competitors had to stand 75 feet away from a large target with a bullseye in the middle, with zero points awarded for misses, one point for hitting the board, and two points for hitting the bullseye. Every competitor competed in five rounds, three throws each round, to post up the best score possible.

Keith Nabors was very pleased with the turnout and with how the event was run and that Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan himself told Nabors that he would like to see the sling stone competition return for 2022 Taga Fest.

“It was awesome, and I’m totally excited for the things to come. …Next year, hopefully we can get more competitors out and more people interested. …It’s just awesome to share the culture and get the kids back into their roots, and I just want to see the sport develop,” he said.

Keith Nabors added that he’d like to see sling stone throwing be part of next year’s Pacific Mini Games, which Saipan will host, and he has aspirations of sending some of the CNMI’s young slingers to an international sling stone throwing competition in Spain sometime next year.